Posted On March 12, 2020
To our trusted employees, partners, clients, and friends:
In alignment with Flat World’s culture of Excellence for our clients, Excellence to each other, and Excellence in the community, we wanted to update you on the precautions Flat World Global Solutions is taking regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19).
The health and safety of our team is of utmost importance, as is insuring there are no disruptions in our level of excellence to our clients. Should it become necessary, our team members have the equipment and ability to telecommute while still delivering the level of excellence you have come to expect. In the past, due to significant weather conditions or other emergencies, our organization has successfully supported our clients through working remotely. This is no different.
These capabilities include:
International and Domestic Operational Support
-Freight Forwarding and Customs Brokerage teams are fully able to work remotely with system access for shipment management, processing, customs and government clearances, releases and ongoing dispatch.
-Our Domestic Operations team is fully able to work remotely and are well-situated with system access for shipment management, processing, dispatch, customer service and audit functions.
-Our cloud based operational IT systems are all accessible remotely, and telecommunications are available remotely as well.
-Staff rotation schedule is available in our physical operational locations to receive and process freight as needed.
-Remote access capability has been tested or utilized in the last 30 days due to weather and snow emergencies, as well as utilized frequently for non-normal workday and holiday needs.
Financial and Administrative Operations
-Our full team can work remotely, and using remote scanner technology, can operate our financial process with limited physical presence in the office.
-A limited office presence is only needed to initiate the processing of paper transactions.
-Systems and process have been tested in the last 30 days, are already used frequently during off hours, and are available to implement immediately if needed.
Internally, Flat World has increased environmental cleaning and travel precautions are in place as we continue to monitor updates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other government agencies. Flat World has been progressive on monitoring the developments of the coronavirus situation, and we fully expect to be able to continue to maintain operations as normal. Should you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
Our clients’ and team member’s health, safety, and businesses are at the forefront of our concerns, and we will do everything possible to deliver a best-in-class experience through potential disruptions. We will continue to monitor the impact to the industry and distribute information via email to keep you up to date.
This is certainly a time for elevated concern and awareness of public health challenges, as well as using reasonable precautions needed to overcome those challenges. It is not, however, a time to panic. Since our company was founded, we have referred to our team and our clients as the “Flat World family.” That was true yesterday, it is still true today, and it will be true tomorrow.
Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay excellent.
Sincerely,
Brian Wenck, CEO Flat World Global Solutions